That season, Ohio State and Michigan entered the regular-season finale ranked No. 1 and No. 2. The Buckeyes beat the Wolverines and the two schools were close to a rematch in the BCS championship. But Florida went to the title game instead of Michigan to meet Ohio State, and the Buckeyes lost 41-14. The Wolverines, meanwhile, lost 32-18 to USC in the Rose Bowl.

Northwestern was the only Big Ten school to win a New Year's Day bowl in 2013. (AP Photo)

The conference's reputation continues to take a beating in the aftermath, especially in bowls played on or after Jan. 1.

This year didn't help. Ohio State and Penn State were ineligible for the postseason, the conference sent a five-loss team to the Rose Bowl then went 1-4 on New Year's Day after losses by Michigan, Nebraska, Wisconsin and Purdue. Northwestern picked up the lone win.

WHY SHOULD THEY JOIN?

Oklahoma and Texas can't carry the Big 12 for long. There's no conference championship game. Northern Illinois edged the 10-win Sooners out of the BCS. That's why it's time to move on. Texas is 22-16 the last three seasons. Oklahoma, meanwhile, enters the Jan. 4 Cotton Bowl as an undercard to Texas A&M and Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel. This despite the fact Bob Stoops went 11-2 against the Aggies in the Big 12 from 1999-2011. It's amazing what that SEC detail does for a program.

That's why the Longhorns and Sooners need their own personal touch up. Unlike the Big Ten, they've held their own in bowl games. Since '06, Texas is 5-1 (1-1 in BCS games); Oklahoma is 3-3 (1-3 in BCS games). For what it's worth, the Longhorns and Sooners have as many Rose Bowl wins in the BCS era as the Big Ten.

FIX THE DIVISIONS

Of course, adding the Longhorns and Sooners would mean realignment to the Legends and Leaders divisions.

As of now, The Leaders is set up in a way that will allow Ohio State to dominate until Urban Meyer retires.

Why not move over the two schools Ohio loathes most? Putting the Wolverines in the Leaders ensures The Game never loses a shred of significance in the regular season.

If the Big Ten wants to force-feed the conference brand into the Washington, D.C. and New York markets, it's best to do that with the conference's yin and yang traveling to Maryland and Rutgers at least once a year every year.

THE PAYOFF

The Big Ten creates an intriguing conference championship. Imagine Texas or Oklahoma facing off against Michigan or Ohio State in Indianapolis. That means games like Texas' 38-37 win against Michigan in the '05 Rose Bowl and the Longhorns' dramatic 25-22 win against the Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium the following season.

The conference also creates a league that competes with the SEC long term. The Longhorns, Sooners and Buckeyes all rank in the top five in wins in the BCS era.

That's not quite enough to knock the SEC off its throne—the conference is 8-1 in the title game with Alabama going for a ninth championship this season. The Buckeyes, Cornhuskers, Longhorns and Sooners are 3-7 in BCS championship games. But it's a start.

The Big Ten also has to avoid another New Year's Day massacre to get respect, but adding Oklahoma and Texas offers the best chance to play for a national championship every season. That will help make up the large chunk of real estate lost to the SEC.